For five days, Fang Wang had not left his cave dwelling. Although he was excited to have joined the Great Abyss Gate, he had no desire to go out and socialize with the other disciples. He was acutely aware that his position within the Great Abyss Gate depended on his cultivation level. As long as he maintained the reputation of a genius, he would be surrounded by good people. But if he were to delay his cultivation, trouble would naturally follow.
At noon on this day.
Fang Wang felt something, opened his eyes, and picked up the token at his waist. A voice transmitted from it:
"Fang Wang, come see me at the Qingxin Hall."
The voice was aged and hoarse, but upon hearing "Qingxin Hall," Fang Wang's expression brightened. He immediately got up, thought for a moment, hung his storage bag on his belt, and took up the Flying Sword given to him by Zhou Xue. He quickly stepped out of his cave dwelling and flew off on his sword.
The Qingxin Hall was the palace of the Peak Master, which meant the person who had just spoken was his future master, Yang Yuanzi.
He was very much looking forward to what he could learn next.
Qingxin Hall was situated on the summit of the third peak, a place previously pointed out by the eldest disciple, Li Yu.
Ascending all the way, Fang Wang soon arrived in front of Qingxin Hall. There were no disciples guarding it, and the palace was surrounded by tall trees, standing like giant swords.
Fang Wang stood in front of the grand entrance, slowly pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
Qingxin Hall was not large—it looked like an ordinary Daoist temple. Fang Wang walked up behind a figure and bowed, saying, "Disciple Fang Wang, pays respects to Master."
Yang Yuanzi sat with his back to him, meditating in front of a stone statue of a woman with a graceful figure. Her face was devoid of features, which instead lent it a solemn and mysterious air.
Upon hearing him, Yang Yuanzi stood up and turned to look at Fang Wang.
Only now did Fang Wang clearly see Yang Yuanzi's true face. His hair was a mix of black and white, carelessly draped, and he wore a black Dao robe. His eyes were dull like a dry well, and the stubble around his mouth was unkempt. This was very different from the Yang Yuanzi Fang Wang had imagined.
Yang Yuanzi asked, "Why choose the third peak?"
Fang Wang had already thought about his response. He replied, "For the highest and most profound legacy."
"Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation? Indeed. Which family are you from?"
"Disciple is from the Fang Family of Southern Hills City."
"Never heard of it, but I'm not interested anyway. Now that you have become my disciple, you will be the fifth in ranking, with four elder martial brothers and sisters ahead of you. You'll meet them in time. You're already at the seventh level of the Qi Cultivation Realm. Is there anything specific you wish to learn?"
Yang Yuanzi's words were calm, revealing an indifference towards this so-called genius disciple, Fang Wang.
It was then that Fang Wang realized why Sect Leader Guang Qiuxian had advised him to join the first peak. It seemed the third peak's issue lay with Yang Yuanzi himself.
Fang Wang did not hold back, asking, "Master, can you teach me how to use the storage bag?"
Upon hearing this question, Yang Yuanzi's pupils shrank slightly. He could not help but ask, "You don't know how to use a storage bag? Didn't your family teach you?"
"My family does not understand cultivation; there was just one clan member who received guidance from a cultivator. I came to the Great Abyss Gate with her."
"How long have you been cultivating?"
"Less than a year."
"Less than a year and you've achieved the seventh level of the Qi Cultivation Realm?"
Yang Yuanzi looked at Fang Wang anew, squinting his eyes and commenting, "Not bad. To open a storage bag, you'll need to develop your spiritual consciousness."
Seeing that Fang Wang wanted to continue asking questions, Yang Yuanzi handed him a secret manual and said, "This is the general outline of cultivation for the Great Abyss Gate; it records all kinds of basic techniques for cultivation. You should take it back and study it."
Fang Wang hurriedly thanked his master, unaware that Yang Yuanzi was rather speechless.
This book was prepared by the Great Abyss Gate for Outer Sect Disciples to introduce them to the path of cultivation. Ever since he became a Peak Master, he had almost never taken out this book. This particular book was a memento from when he first joined the Great Abyss Gate.
Fang Wang tucked the secret manual into his chest and then asked, "Master, may I learn the Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation? I would like to give it a try."
Yang Yuanzi snorted and said dismissively, "In the Great Abyss Gate, you can't simply learn whatever you want, even if you are highly talented and perceptive. You must make contributions. When you joined, the Great Abyss Gate didn't check your background because firstly, it does not matter, and secondly, as a new member you need to prove yourself through contributions."
"As a Direct Disciple, you are allowed to choose three superior manuals from the Daofa Pavilion. However, the Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation is the cornerstone legacy of the first peak. If you want to learn it, you'll have to become the eldest disciple first."
Fang Wang quickly inquired, "How can I become the eldest disciple?"
With no irritation, but rather with interest, Yang Yuanzi replied, "To become the eldest disciple, you must first reach the Spirit Elixir Realm and have made significant contributions. Don't even think about it for the next fifty years."
Upon hearing this, Fang Wang immediately felt disappointed.
Yang Yuanzi's tone shifted, "However, you are the first in the history of the Great Abyss Gate to become a Direct Disciple upon joining. Although there has never before been such an exception in accepting disciples, you will still be recorded in the annals of the Great Abyss Gate."
He raised his right hand, and a green Jade Slip appeared in his palm.
"This sword technique is called the Jinghong Divine Sword Art. It is a techniqueI personally mastered. The Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation is the heritage of the Great Abyss Gate, and I cannot give it to you on my own accord, but the Jinghong Divine Sword Art is different. I acquired it while adventuring in the Cultivation World. Once you develop your spiritual consciousness, you will be able to read the contents of the Jade Slip with it."
A smile appeared on Yang Yuanzi's face, though it was uglier than a cry, quite frightening indeed.
Fang Wang took the Jade Slip, his excitement barely contained. He asked, "Master, is this sword technique powerful?"
Yang Yuanzi raised his chin proudly, saying, "Your master seized the position of the third peak's Peak Master with this sword technique. What do you think? I've only mastered twenty-seven of the sword movements and already I can sweep through those in the same realm. If within ten years, you achieve minor success, it will be a sign of exceptional comprehension."
"Thank you, Master. I will certainly not disappoint you!"
"First, cultivate to the ninth level of the Qi Cultivation Realm. As a Direct Disciple, you can practice freely. Once you achieve the Soul Sculpting Realm, it won't be too late to start practicing the Jinghong Divine Sword Art."
"Understood."
Yang Yuanzi then went on to explain the rules of the Great Abyss Gate, emphasizing that disciples must not kill each other, must not harm innocent mortals, and must not associate with the Demonic Dao, among other things.
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After giving his instructions, Yang Yuanzi let Fang Wang leave.
Fang Wang did not immediately go to the Daofa Pavilion to select a cultivation technique, feeling that it was not urgent. Just the Jinghong Divine Sword Art alone would take him time to practice. What seemed like an instant had, for him, really been many, many years lived.
Locking a person in a room, with only food and drink provided and no other forms of entertainment, could drive someone insane within a month.
Even though Fang Wang aimed to grow stronger, spending one or two hundred years in the Heavenly Palace was very painful.
Once inside the Heavenly Palace, one could not leave unless they reached the Great Perfection Realm.
Yet, he vaguely discovered another advantage of the Heavenly Palace—it guaranteed that any cultivation technique or ultimate skill could be mastered to Great Perfection. That was truly domineering!
Moreover, ever since he had entered the Heavenly Palace, Fang Wang had gained a photographic memory.
Upon returning to his cave dwelling, Fang Wang first took out the 'General Outline of Cultivation.' Following the records, he cultivated his divine consciousness. For him, at the seventh layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, this was no big feat, and he accomplished it within an hour.
The 'General Outline of Cultivation' also recorded the cultivation realms, which from low to high were: Qi Cultivation, Soul Sculpting, Spirit Elixir, Profound Heart, and Condensation. Above Condensation, there are realms that even the book suggested, 'hope disciples will one day touch higher realms.'
The Soul Sculpting Realm was a crucial stage that determined a cultivator's fate. The grade of the Lifespirit Treasure one could forge directly decided their aptitude and comprehension. Of course, it was not absolute. On the path of cultivation, there will always be extraordinary people who create a sensation through the ages.
Putting down the 'General Outline of Cultivation,' Fang Wang began his practice.
He planned to first build his cultivation up to the ninth layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm.
Now that he had reached the stage where he no longer needed to eat, Fang Wang could cultivate in peace. Closing his eyes, he seemed to re-enter the state of cultivation he had experienced in the Heavenly Palace.
One and a half months later, Fang Wang reached the eighth layer of the Qi Cultivation realm. The gap between the seventh and the eighth layer was indeed as large as Zhou Xue had described. He only won previously because the Solaris Scripture was stronger than the cultivation techniques of the other cultivators.
He continued to practice.
Nearly four months passed, and Fang Wang finally reached the ninth layer of the Qi Cultivation realm in one go.
As he opened his eyes, a gleam flashed in them. He once again gathered the Solaris True Fire, and nine little suns floated behind his head, illuminating the cave dwelling. Feeling the surging spiritual power within him, he suddenly recalled the sensation when he had reached the Martial Mythical Realm.
Uh, he felt invincible.
Of course, this feeling was fleeting. He knew that in the cultivation world, he was still at the bottom and needed to work hard.
Fang Wang picked up the Jade Slip given to him by Yang Yuanzi and probed it with his divine consciousness. A significant amount of text flooded into his mind. After organizing it all, his consciousness blurred, and when he opened his eyes again, he was already inside the Heavenly Palace.
He stood in the great hall of the Heavenly Palace and began practicing the Jinghong Divine Sword Art.
The Jinghong Divine Sword Art had a total of thirty-six swords—no actual sword was needed in hand. The sword technique would condense into sword shapes, akin to a magic artifact, moving at will.
Yang Yuanzi claimed he only mastered up to the twenty-seventh sword, which made Fang Wang greatly look forward to the full thirty-six.
However, he spent five years just on the first sword.
The Jinghong Divine Sword Art was difficult to practice!
It wasn't just about condensing spiritual power into a sword shape; it also involved infusing one's divine consciousness into it, allowing the sword shape to become one's own field of vision—a test of divine consciousness.
No matter how difficult, as long as one entered the Heavenly Palace, it could certainly be mastered—worse comes to worst, just endure the time!
Fang Wang continued to practice the second sword.
The second sword also took five years!
It wasn't until the sixth sword that the practice duration decreased to two years. Fang Wang thought he was making rapid progress, but by the time he reached the eighteenth sword, it took him over ten years for each one, nearly driving him to despair.
Who can go day after day, training and learning for hundreds of years without any form of leisure in between?
Fang Wang had tried to create a computer from his previous life within the Heavenly Palace, but it was just an empty shell. As for creating a person, that was even more impossible.
And so it was.
By the time Fang Wang had finally mastered the thirty-six swords, thirty-six sword shapes floated around him, all bearing the likeness of the Qingjun Sword, quite splendid. Yet his face wore an expression of numbness.
"It's finally over," he said.
As his words fell, Fang Wang's consciousness returned to reality.
Practicing the Jinghong Divine Sword Art had somehow taken him two hundred years!
Numb!
Fang Wang immediately got up and walked out of the cave dwelling; he had to go see the outside scenery, or he would go mad.
Boom!
The doors of the dwelling burst open, and sunlight poured onto Fang Wang, giving him the feeling of being alive in that moment.
He walked to the cliff's edge and admired the majestic scenery of the Great Abyss Gate's peaks, simply standing there for half an hour before heading back to continue his practice.
Watching the figures of disciples coming and going, Fang Wang finally felt a sense of reality.
"Fang Wang, long time no see. Have you reached the Soul Sculpting Realm?"
A female voice reached him. Fang Wang turned his head to look, and it was Gu Li from the Luo Bei Gu Family.
Gu Li's cave dwelling was right next to his, which surprised him—this area was reserved for direct disciples!
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